ESR Imaging of Conduction Electrons in Organic Conductors

In organic conductors built from stacks of planar aromatic hydrocarbons the mobility of the conduction electrons perpendicular to the radical cation stacks is more than four orders of magnitude smaller than the respective along-the-stack value. Thus the macroscopic properties of real single crystals of such radical cation salts are strongly influenced by the distribution of inevitable defects. Therefore, spatial resolution is required for a meaningful interpretation of the ESR data. Various schemes for 2D and 3D ESR imaging have been realized in the radio frequency and microwave frequency range with a resolution down to 10 m̈m. Spatial distribution of spin density, T₁, T₂, and spin diffusion coefficient D were recorded, often as a function of temperature. The conducting-chain length distribution was observed. Our first attempts for the imaging of the integral and the spatially distributed carrier motion caused by an applied electric current were successful.